Greetings! Sorry for the long break between stories. This is the finale planned story in my Meta-Tests series. The overall plot line ends here, though I'm not promising I won't write in this 'verse any more. If you've not read any of the other Meta-Tests stories, I suggest you read some of those first. If you'e stuck with me for the entire series (8 or 9 stories I think) thank you so much. This one was hard to finish because of a number of things. Big thanks to ScoobyIce8 and zannabanana for encouraging me when I hit a block. I am working without beta, having killed three I've decided no more for now, so all mistakes are my own. Within the story italics denote a memory or dream and as this is the finale in the series, it is a bit tree-like, full of sap at times. I was unable to follow up on requests of PM notifications when I got the story posted due to lack of information included with the request. Sorry. Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! I don't own The Flash and I make no monies from this. -CT
Chapter 1: Show Your Cards
Dr. Tina McGee glared at the image on the screen. She was watching security footage with Detective Joe West and CSI Barry Allen. Someone had broken into the lab and stolen the tachyonic prototype. The intruder had killed two security guards, shooting them down in cold blood. Now, seeing the image on the screen, Tina felt her anger boil up. "Harrison, I should have known," Tina seethed. Next to her, Joe and Barry exchanged looks. "I assume you will arrest him immediately." She turned on the detective and CSI next to her.
"Not that easy," Joe said, shaking his head. "I know for a fact Harrison has an alibi. He didn't do this." Tina's eyes widened. They weren't going to do anything.
"Detective, the proof is there for anyone to see," Tina exclaimed, motioning at the screen. "Plus, this is the third time he's been caught on video breaking the law! I read about the other two robberies in the paper!"
"I am telling you, there is no way that is Harrison Wells," Joe said calmly. Glaring at them, Tina decided she wasn't going to sit there and take it. She hadn't heard anything from Harrison in weeks. He had been checking in with her regularly until about a month and a half ago. Tina had cancelled their appointment and been too busy to reschedule. Now, this is what she got for saving and prolonging his life.
Getting up she stalked away from the two men and headed out the door. She went straight for the crowd of reporters. She waited a moment to make sure she had their attention before she started speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to send a message to Harrison Wells. I want my prototype back. I don't care what you have on the police. I will get my work back from you and you will pay for killing my employees." She turned away as shouts erupted anew in the crowd.
Detective Joe West had followed her out, Barry going ahead of them. "Come with me," Joe said, catching Tina's arm as she tried to walk away. Looking around, Tina glanced once at the crowd before looking up into the man's face. He looked angry, determined.
"What's going on?" Tina demanded of him. He led her to a car, opening the door.
"You want proof it wasn't Harrison? Get in the car." The detective's tone was strong and firm, his eyes cold and serious. Returning his gaze, Tina did as she was told.
"Where are we going?" Tina asked again as she got into the car.
"To see Dr. Wells," Barry said. He was in the driver's seat, just getting off his phone. "Ready?" He looked to Joe who slid into the seat next to Tina, forcing her to scoot over. Joe nodded seriously and turned to stare out the window after buckling his seat belt. The car pulled out and headed into traffic. The two men were silent for the duration of the drive.
"So he's at S.T.A.R. labs," Tina mused as they arrived in the lab parking lot. The two men got out silently, looking back to make sure that Tina followed them. They remained silent as they entered the lab and took one of the elevators. When the elevator stopped Barry stepped out and led the way. He didn't take them to the cortex. They headed to a different room.
"You wanted to see Harrison so badly? Go say hello," Joe declared as they stopped at a door. He waved a hand, motioning for Tina to go inside. Frowning at him, Tina looked at the door, wondering what was on the other side. The two men seemed upset. When Tina didn't immediately open the door, Joe sighed in exasperation, yanked it open and entered. Barry went in and Tina followed him. "Hey Judy," Joe greeted the woman sitting in the chair. "Rupert! Big man!" Judy's son squealed upon seeing Joe. The mother and child were both meta's, the baby a product of the woman's power. Upon contact with Harrison months ago the baby had incorporated part of the scientist's DNA into his own making Rupert, effectively, Harrison's son.
"Hey Joe," Judy said. Standing behind Barry, Tina didn't see Harrison. He could have been next to Judy as Barry was blocking Tina's view. "No change today."
"Yeah?" Grabbing a chair, Joe pulled it over and sat next to Judy. Finally moving from Tina's view, Barry took the seat on the opposite side and Tina stopped in her tracks, staring.
"I don't understand," Tina finally said, her mind not really processing what she was seeing.
"What do you mean?" Barry frowned as he looked up.
"You wanted to know how we knew it wasn't Harrison. This is how." Joe motioned at the bed and Tina took a few steps forwards.
A hospital bed sat in the middle of the room. Joe, Judy, Rupert, and Barry had their seats arrayed around it so they could be seen by the occupant. In the hospital bed, Harrison Wells was hooked up to various monitors. Taking another step forwards, Tina looked at the readouts. There was almost no brain activity. "How long has he been like this?" Tina finally asked, breaking a hushed silence that had fallen after Joe had spoken.
"Six weeks, five days, three hours," a young man spoke up, moving from the shadow he'd been standing within. Jumping in surprise, Tina stared at him. "Apologies. I did not intend to startle you." He was young, tall, had sandy brown hair, and familiar piercing blue eyes. "Dr. Artemis Wells." The man offered his hand.
"Wells?" Tina didn't know what to think. The man had to be at least twenty but she'd known Harrison during the time period the young man would have been born. Harrison had never mentioned a child or nephew.
"Yes." Dropping his hand, Artemis turned from her, moving to check the body in the bed. "Joe, I think he's aware of your presence. His brain activity has increased."
"Sometimes it jumps when we read to him," Judy added. She watched Tina who was staring as Artemis pulled the bed sheet down and checked something on Harrison's chest.
"These wounds are still healing extremely slowly. The damage wrought to his system is likely the cause," Artemis noted.
"They're getting better," Dr. Caitlin Snow said coming into the room. "Artemis, I'm going to head home. Will you be alright for the night shift?"
"Of course Caitlin," Artemis said with an easy nod. "Get some rest. I, and hopefully Harrison, will be here in the morning."
"Thanks." Caitlin gave his arm a squeeze before leaving the room. The silence fell once more.
"Is he not stable?" Tina took another step closer. "How long has he been like this? Why is he like this? What the hell happened?" Looking around the group, Tina could tell that they had all been at it for a while. She could see weary looks on everybody's faces.
"He's been like this since Goldenboy attacked the stadium," Joe began. Standing, he pulled down the bed sheets, revealing bandages covering Harrison's chest. "He took four to the chest. Iris and I tried to stop the bleeding while we got him here." The detective spoke softly, almost reverently.
"It wasn't reported," Tina wondered.
"No. It wasn't," Joe agreed. He studied the woman, wondering what she would and wouldn't believe. "Harrison wasn't there as Harrison." The sentence earned him Tina's direct attention.
"What do you mean?"
"That's rather difficult to explain," Artemis spoke up. "If you need proof that Harrison has indeed been here for the full time, please feel free to explore his medical records. You'll find them on the computer over there. Hard copies of the cardio read-outs are in the folder along with notes on IVs, medications, and bandage changes." He motioned at a table and then went back to checking his patient.
Frowning, Tina remembered her anger, and stalked towards the computers and files. She spent several hours pouring over all of it. Harrison had done something to himself and it had backfired. It looked like he'd been trying to repair or bypass the damage to his spine. From the copious notes on the implant, some in Harrison's writing, Tina could tell that it wasn't that the implant didn't work. The problem was with pre-existing conditions in Harrison's body.
The group came and went while Tina examined the data. Joe was still there when she finally closed the folder and looked up. "Go ahead, ask em," Joe said around his finger. He had his chin resting in the palm of his hand and was watching Harrison's chest rise and fall.
"Has he shown any signs of brain activity?"
"We get the occasional spike. They happen more often when Rupert or Cisco are visiting with him," Joe answered honestly.
"I see. The wounds to his chest, they're healing very slowly. Do you know why? There's nothing in here about it."
"Artemis thinks it has to do with a medication Harrison was taking to make sure the implant worked."
"And he was at the game testing this implant?" Joe nodded, his eyes flitting between Tina and the body in the bed. "But he was shot causing the implant to malfunction and injure him further?"
"Basically," Joe agreed. He wasn't about to admit that part of the reason Harrison's health had been on the downwards slope was because he'd been using a special suit to act as the Chameleon. The police detective was still struggling to understand all of that himself.
"So, he's been here this whole time?" Another dull nod from Joe. "Why not let it be known?"
"Why make it public knowledge? Look, you know he was dying. Maybe he was a little bit suicidal. He was shot trying to protect me and my daughter. He didn't even hesitate." Sighing, Joe rubbed at his forehead.
"So, you've been taking turns sitting by his bedside for six, almost seven weeks now," Tina observed. It earned her another tired nod.
"You don't even know how intact his brain will be if he does wake up," she pointed out.
"Doesn't matter. He got hurt trying to save my life. He was testing that neural bypass thing on himself because he didn't want to risk injuring anyone else. He knew the scar tissue and damage his head had taken would cause problems with the implant. He still wouldn't use it on anyone else." Sighing, Joe stood, stretched, and started pacing at the foot of the bed.
An alarm sounded and the young man, Artemis, entered, quickly moving to the bed. Without looking he turned the alarm off as he checked his patient. Tina watched as the man calmly made some adjustments to the IV and then check the bandages. While the man worked the heartbeat, the cause for alarm, slowly returned to normal. Finished working, Artemis sighed.
"That's the third time today," Joe said softly. "He's getting worse, isn't he?" Artemis nodded.
"Joe, we might want to consider moving him to his house. I think he might be more comfortable. I know he would rather die there than here." Artemis spoke softly and seriously.
"Yeah. Carlton has been asking about him," Joe agreed.
"Carlton?" Tina spoke up. "Who is that?" She half expected it to be another son Harrison had kept secret.
"You know about meta-humans." Joe began bluntly. She knew about Judy so Joe figured she knew about the possibility of others. Tina nodded her head, wondering what that had to do with it. "Carlton is a meta-rosebush. He lives in Harrison's garden."
"I tend to him every day," Artemis said. "But he has complained that I throw the baseball too hard. I'm still learning." He smiled a bit sadly, and then vanished back into the shadows.
"I have to get home," Tina said, glancing at the clock. "I'll make a public apology to Harrison tomorrow. If you want, I won't mention his current condition."
"I'd appreciate that," Joe said, standing. "Need me to walk you out?"
"That would be fine, thank you." The two started back the way they had come. At the exit, Tina turned to face Joe. "Detective, I had been treating Harrison for a life threatening disease. How has that progressed?"
"Artemis was able to stop the degradation. If we can keep Harrison alive long enough for his body to recover from the injuries he sustained at the stadium, he should be okay, physically." Joe looked tired, worn out. Tina could only guess what the last month and a half had been like for him.
"May I stop by and visit him?" Tina asked this question quietly. She wasn't certain why she wanted to check back in, but she did. Something about seeing Harrison in that bed brought out old feelings for the man.
"Of course." They shared a silent look and Tina turned and headed out. There was a cab waiting for her. Perhaps Artemis had called for it. Climbing into the cab, Tina ordered it back to Mercury Labs, and sat back to think. She had a great deal to think about.